From Sampler to Sower

Sunday afternoon the Green Bay Packers strode confidently into the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.  It wouldn’t be long however before they looked less certain.  Early turnovers resulted in an early lead for the Vikings.  Things began to look up when the Pack forced a turnover and ran it back for a score to make up the deficit.  But the victory just wasn’t to be.  They made a good run at a comeback late in the fourth quarter, but in the end fell short.

A key factor in the loss was the Vikings pass rush which hounded the Packers quarterback, created havoc in the backfield and led to some costly turnovers.  The other key difference was time of possession, which Minnesota dominated, especially in the second half.

It proved a tough loss.  But it wasn’t the end of the season.  Favre and the Packers went on to lose only two more games, and gave Minnesota a 38-10 drubbing in week 17 when the Vikings had to report to Lambeau Field for the rematch.  It was an exciting end to the regular season and a good transition into the post-season which Green Bay capped off by defeating Drew Bledsoe and the Patriots in Superbowl XXXI.  But they did lose to the Vikings in Minnesota on Sept. 22, 1996.

Given the lessons learned from history, despite last night’s lost, Packer Nation isn’t worried.  The deciding factor isn’t what happened last night.  It’s what happens the rest of the season.